The cold weather paired with the constant hand washing and sanitising has left our hands stripped of moisture and drier than ever — and most certainly in need of some TLC. Although many of us have a strict skin-care routine [1], our hands are sadly often neglected. Keeping them in tip-top shape requires one thing: a trusty hand cream. You should be moisturising your hands with a decent hand cream every day — multiple times a day, in fact — to keep them from getting dry.
Extremely dry hands can happen for a number of reasons. First and foremost, washing your hands frequently and using alcohol-heavy sanitisers — two things that have helped keep us safe during the pandemic (which is most important, of course) but have not been kind to our hands. Secondly, the weather has a big part to play. As temperatures drop, our hands can start to loose moisture fast.
If left untreated with a simple cream, hands can get sore, itchy, flaky, and even exacerbate conditions such as eczema [2]. To prevent that, the answer isn't to stop washing (please keep washing and sanitising!) but to reach for a hydrating hand lotion right after. The good news is that applying a hand cream immediately after using sanitiser is highly unlikely to negate the gel's bacteria-killing effects (there's a bunch more info on the topic here [3]). So that means you can slather on the lotion without any worry, keeping your hands hygienic and hydrated. We rounded up 12 of the best hand creams for dry skin ahead.
Additional reporting by Sophia Panych
CeraVe Reparative Hand Cream
The CeraVe Reparative Hand Cream For Dry Cracked Hands [4] (£6) is formulated with three essential ceramides (as well as hyaluronic acid and glycerin) to help restore and strengthen your skin's natural protective barrier.
Lanolips Rose Hand Cream Intense
Lanolin is a odourless and colourless occlusive and emollient that works to mimic your skin's own oils to keep hands moisturised, and it's the key ingredient in Lanolips Rose Hand Cream Intense [5] (£9). This combined with rich shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, vitamin E, and rose work together to soften and hydrate dry skin without any sticky feeling.
L'Occitane Hand Cream in Shea Butter
Your truly can't go wrong with the L'Occitane Hand Cream in Shea Butter [6] (£21.50). It's both luxurious and extremely hard-working. The formula contains 20 percent shea butter as well as a blend of almond, honey, and coconut oil for a rich and ultrahydrating lotion. The stylish packaging and delicious jasmine and ylang ylang scent makes it an ideal hand cream for all occasions.
Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve [7] (£15) is uncomplicated, hard-working, and effective — exactly what we look for in a dry hands emergency. This salve help repair extremely dry hands by forming a protective barrier against moisture loss to reduce soreness and cracks.
Eucerin Intensive 5% Urea Hand Cream
If very sore and cracked hands are your issue, the Eucerin Intensive 5% Urea Hand Cream [8] (£9) will do just the trick thanks to its star ingredient: urea. Urea is a byproduct of urine (don't freak out, stay with us!) but is also a natural compound found in the layers of the skin, and when synthetically manufactured in a lab it gives the same moisturising benefits.
This one isn't a slather on and go types of creams though. It's definitely one to use at nighttime or to spot-treat individual patches of dry skin as it forms a film layer — this is why it works so well as an extreme dry skin treatment.
The Body Shop British Rose Petal Soft Hand Cream
The Body Shop British Rose Petal Soft Hand Cream [9] (£12) is one of the fastest absorbing hand creams out there. Seriously, this stuff soaks into skin in a matter of seconds making it an ideal cream if you're out driving, using a pen (admit it, using a pen after hand cream should be an Olympic sport), or simply hate having to wait for lotion to dry, this one is for you. The formula is ultralightweight and smells divine. There are a bunch of scents to choose from but our favourite has to be British Rose.
Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Hand Cream
Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Hand Cream [10] (£5.50) can do no wrong in my eyes. It's made with Aveeno's special "Triple Oat Complex" (which contains oat flour, oat extract, oat oil) and shea butter for intense instant hydration. The formula is non-greasy but not too thick, making it a great everyday handbag cream. It's also unscented and suitable for sensitive skin types.
Gloved Instant-Absorb Hand Lotion
The Gloved Instant-Absorb Hand Lotion [11] (£28) is hands down the best smelling hand cream we've used with its wonderful combination of cedarwood, iris, lime, and juniper. The wash and lotion duo are little slices of luxury at home that we never want to be without. Even better, you can buy refills from Gloved to avoid extra unnecessary packaging.
One thing to note as this doesn't absorb as instantly as other hand creams we've tried. Having said that, it is non-greasy and keeps hands feeling moisturised for a prolonged period of time. Due to the heavily perfumed aspect of this moisturiser, if you're experiencing eczema, this is one to try when you're not having a flare-up.
O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream
O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream [12] (£8.50) might not be the chicest hand cream you could buy, but if you've got severely dry hands, the odourless, glycerin-packed formula will provide immediate relief.
Burt's Bees Ultimate Care Hand Cream
Not only is the Burt's Bees Ultimate Care Hand Cream [13] (£9) rich, but natural fruit acids in the formula also help to gently exfoliate rough patches making it a great allrounder. The cream absorbs quickly and contains no added fragrance so it's suitable for supersensitive hands. A perfect handbag cream to keep dry skin at bay.
Neutrogena Concentrated Unscented Hand Cream
In the States, the Neutrogena Concentrated Unscented Hand Cream [14] (£4) has long been a beauty editor and dermatologist favourite formula. With a texture that's more like a balm than a cream, it's definitely on the slicker side (so yes, it will leave streaks on your phone, your keyboard, your glass, you name it), but if you have very dry, chapped hands, this is inexpensive-yet-effective product to soothe it.
Mauli Rituals Reawaken Hand & Body Lotion
A rich lotion with a fresh, smooth citrusy scent — thanks to lime, lavender, blood orange, and grapefruit essential oils blended with rose and sandalwood — Mauli Rituals Reawaken Hand & Body Lotion [15] (£29) is as much a treat for your spirits as it is for you super dry skin. Plus, the convenient pump means you can leave it sitting on your sink for easy dispensing — no faffing about with cumbersome caps and tubes.
Aveda Hand Relief Moisturizing Creme
Aveda Hand Relief Moisturizing Creme [16] (£17, originally £21) smells pretty and has a luxurious, silky texture that absorbs quickly into the skin. But just because it dries down quickly doesn't mean it's not working. Plant-derived emollients and humectants, as well as vitamins A and E, and exfoliating fruit acids, all work in tandem help to soften and coddle dry, uncomfortable skin.
Stories No. 02 Hand & Body Lotion
The spicy, woody, honey-laced scent of Stories No. 02 Hand & Body Lotion [17] (£26) smells so good, you can't wait to use it. And with shea butter, aloe vera, sweet almond oil, cocoa butter, marula seed oil and argan kernel oil all together in the formula, it's incredibly hydrating, too.
Skandinavisk Rosenhave Hand Cream
With a recyclable aluminium tube and plastic cap, the Skandinavisk Rosenhave Hand Cream [18] (£20) gets a star in our book without even opening it. But once you try this organic hand cream, we promise you'll be hooked. It's incredibly hydrating — designed to be used in cold, harsh climates — but is formulated so that it absorbs quickly and doesn't feel greasy, meaning it doesn't leave streaks on your phone or make it hard to open your water bottle. And whilst "rosenhave" is the Danish word for rose garden, the scent isn't overly floral, but rather fresh, earthy, and light thanks to the addition of elderflower, geranium, and blackcurrant buds.